Pubic Hair and the Urinary and Vaginal Microbiome

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infections. In 2007, in the United States alone, there were an estimated 10.5 million office visits for UTI symptoms (constituting 0.9% of all ambulatory visits) and 2-3 million emergency department visits. UTIs are significantly more common in women and are a leading cause of urogynecology referrals. In women, the vagina plays a key role in the pathogenesis of UTIs. The initial step in the pathogenesis of UTI is colonization of the vaginal opening and peri-urethra with uropathogens from the intestinal microbiota, followed by ascension of uropathogens via the urethra to the bladder and sometimes the kidneys to cause infection. Thus, understanding factors that affect the microbiota of the vagina is key to understanding the pathogenesis of UTI. Likewise, since Wolfe et al published the first evidence of a urinary microbiome in 2012, there has been growing interest in whether the content of this microbiome could correlate with symptoms of the lower urinary tract. The urinary microbiome has been shown to correlate with symptoms of urgency incontinence but to date, there is no data on whether the composition of the urinary microbiome is associated with any change in risk for UTIs. If the urinary microbiome could play a role in the acquisition of clinical infection, then the factors that affect the microbiome of the bladder would be important in preventing UTIs. One plausible and modifiable factor that may change the vaginal and urinary microbiome is the presence of pubic hair. Hair in other parts of the body (nose, ears, eyebrows) traps and stops the passage of pathogens into our mucous membranes. Additionally, the sebum produced by hair follicles is bacteriostatic. However, some form of pubic hair grooming is performed by the majority of pre-menopausal women (83%) and 62% of women between age 18-40 report having removed ALL of their pubic hair at one point in life. This is predominantly done by using non-electric razors (61%) but other women use lasers, waxing and depilatory creams. Fifty-nine percent of women who perform pubic hair removal report their primary reason is to improve hygiene. However, there is no data that this practice changes hygiene, with the exception of preventing pubic hair lice. On the contrary, pubic hair removal has been associated with skin injury leading to inoculation of bacteria and viruses. In a recent cross-sectional study of pubic hair and sexually transmitted infections, researchers found that frequent pubic hair grooming was correlated with a higher risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This preliminary work raises the question of whether the presence of pubic hair affects the vaginal or urinary microbiome, thereby changing a woman's risk of infection in either organ. Furthermore, specific pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) including painful bladder syndrome and urgency urinary incontinence have been associated with specific microbiome profiles. Therefore, by falsely attempting to maintain pelvic health through grooming practices, women might inadvertently be exposing themselves to PFDs mediated by changes in their urinary or vaginal microbiomes. The aim of this study is to address this question through a pilot study of urinary and vaginal microbiomes in women with and without pubic hair AND in the same woman with and without pubic hair.